– Six projects, six producers and five directors from across Africa have been selected for the 2026 edition, while new awards from EAVE and African Film Press are being introduced
Chapa 100 by Ique Langa
The Locarno Film Festival’s co-production platform and talent development programme Open Doors has unveiled the participants selected for its 2026 edition, which will take place from 5-10 August during the festival and its industry arm, Locarno Pro. Now in the second year of its four-year focus on 42 African countries, the initiative continues its mission of supporting filmmakers from equity-seeking communities and regions where artistic expression remains at risk, bringing together emerging and established voices from across the continent.
Open Doors remains one of the most significant international platforms dedicated to fostering collaboration, professional development and international visibility for filmmakers working in underrepresented territories. Through its Projects, Producers and Directors programmes, participants gain access to training, mentorship, networking opportunities and industry meetings designed to strengthen both individual careers and regional film ecosystems.
This year’s Open Doors Projects selection showcases six first and second features in development spanning fiction, documentary and experimental forms. The selected works explore themes including music and memory, womanhood and motherhood, urban transformation, colonial legacies, social inequality, and the tension between tradition and justice. Among the selected filmmakers is Mozambican director Ique Langa, whose debut feature, O Profeta, screened in the Tiger Competition at IFFR earlier this year. Also featured is Tanzanian filmmaker Neema Ngelime, collaborating with Kenyan producer Ivy Kiru, who recently participated in La Fabrique Cinéma at the Cannes Film Festival with the project Strong Wind.
The Producers programme gathers six professionals from six different countries, highlighting a wide spectrum of experience and expertise. Among the participants is Burkina Faso’s Mamounata Nikiema, honoured at FESPACO 2021 for her contribution to African cinema, while Sudanese producer Rua Osman brings a track record that includes internationally acclaimed titles such as You Will Die at 20 and Goodbye Julia. Nigerian producer David Ikeata also joins the programme, continuing a cross-border practice that has already led to collaborations between Africa and Central Asia.
Meanwhile, the Directors programme welcomes five filmmakers whose short works will be showcased as part of the Open Doors Screenings, the festival section dedicated to highlighting cinema from the initiative’s focus regions. The screenings programme, featuring both short and feature-length works, will be announced separately on 1 July.
Open Doors has also expanded its awards portfolio for 2026. Alongside long-standing partners including visions sud est, the CNC, ArteKino, IFFR Pro, Tabakalera, the San Sebastián Film Festival, Winterthur Kurzfilmtage, OIF and Sørfond, two new awards have been introduced. EAVE and Film Fund Luxembourg will offer a scholarship for the EAVE Marketing Workshop, while African Film Press joins as a new partner with the AFP Critics Prize, which combines financial support with long-term editorial coverage for the winning filmmaker.
The selected participants are as follows:
Open Doors Projects
I Live in V.I – Ugochukwu Azuya (Nigeria)
Production: Olubunmi Ogunsola (ENSEMBLE)
Too Much Music – Aseye Fiagbe (Ghana)
Production: Aseye Fiagbe
Chapa 100 – Ique Langa (Mozambique/South Africa)
Production: Lara Sousa (Kulunga Filmes)
The Ones with the Tempered Flowers – Neema Ngelime (Tanzania/Kenya)
Production: Ivy Kiru (AQ Pictures, LBx Africa)
A Vineyard for a Lobster – Talemwa Pius (Uganda)
Production: Gashumba Emmanuel (Gripmagic Uganda Limited)
Accept My Plea for Burial – Mohammed Sheikh (Somalia/Djibouti)
Production: Kadir Harbi Hassan (Aleel Films)
Open Doors Producers
Tapiwa Chipfupa (Ambidextrous Pictures, Zimbabwe)
Natasha Craveiro (Korikaxoru Films, Cabo Verde)
David Ikeata (Vox Cinematic Films, Nigeria)
Mamounata Nikiema (Pilumpiku Production, Burkina Faso)
Rua Osman (Helomur Picture, Sudan)
Adja Mariam Mahre Soro (Studio Kä, Ivory Coast)
Open Doors Directors
Ariel Añez (Mozambique)
Judith Nini Kibinge (Kenya)
Fagamou Fama Ndiaye (Senegal)
Pocas Pascoal (Angola)
Rediet Haddis Yalew (Ethiopia)
